1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for removing aquatic plants from lakes and ponds, and more particularly to a device and method for uprooting aquatic plants using a plurality of water jets directed into the soil bearing the plant roots.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A frequent problem of lakefront property owners is proliferation of choking underwater plants as the summer progresses. While aquatic plants serve an admittedly useful purpose with respect to the environmental balance of a body of water, over production of aquatic plants adjacent a property owner's shore impedes recreational use of the lake. The problem is more than just aesthetics: wading is unpleasant, boating can be impaired as propellers get caught in the plant beds and swimming may become impossible in plant infested areas. Left unchecked, it is even possible over a number of years for a bay of a lake or pond to become marsh, as the aquatic plants choke it off.
Accordingly, riparian property owners frequently must battle aquatic plant growth in order to preserve and enhance their property value and secure pleasurable enjoyment of the water. A number of techniques are available of varying cost, environmental hazard, and laboriousness; some are regulated by state law, requiring a permit before plant removal is attempted. Generally speaking, the common solutions to rid an area of undesirable aquatic plants are: harvest them, kill them, uproot them, shade them, trample them, introduce fish that eat them, or dredge the area and in so doing remove them.
Harvesting by machine requires very expensive equipment and usually requires permits and state agency supervision. Harvesting cuts the plants below the water surface and captures the plant cuttings on a moving conveyer belt. Many of the plant cuttings escape the conveyer belt and either float downwind to a beach or else sink, depending upon the type of plants. In either case, some of the clippings can re-root and start another plant. And, of course, the plants that were cut will continue to grow, only to be harvested again in an endless cycle.
Harvesting by hand using a rake and cutting tool has the same advantages of machine harvesting, in that plant clippings are removed. Of course, without a capturing device for the clippings, the plant cuttings will disperse and likely re-root, only to be thereafter cut another day. Again, the plants which have been cut continue to grow.
Uprooting the aquatic plants by hand raking is not effective at removing plants by the roots, and the process is far too laborious to be practical. Uprooting plants by hand pulling is slow, tedious, and extremely laborious.
Certain chemicals are effective, selective killers of aquatic plants. However, there are use restrictions, and permits are required. Chemicals can contaminate the environment, enter the food chain (including game fish), injure wildlife, restrict swimming and limit water use for drinking, lawn sprinkling and livestock watering. Because of the permits and regulations associated with chemicals, the average homeowner is unlikely to be able to purchase and use them. Of course, once the chemical has become neutralized, the plants will return and proliferate.
Shading aquatic plants until they die from lack of sunlight by means of opaque plastic sheets requires considerable installation time, and a considerable amount of plastic sheeting. Usually a permit is required, and the plastic sheets will interfere with recreational use of the water.
Trampling aquatic plants is effective in those select areas where considerable human traffic is common, such as public beach areas. The typical homeowner will not have sufficient activity to make this a viable reality.
Aquatic plant eating fish, such as the grass carp or white amur, are regulated for usage in many states. Management of the fish population of a body of water usually requires professional assistance and can be expensive. However, when properly managed, plant eating fish can be very effective in controlling aquatic plants.
Dredging requires specialized equipment which is professionally operated. While dredging is very effective, the effects associated with soil removal can adversely affect the lake environment, so this technique is usually highly regulated by state agencies; and the cost is extremely high.
While the foregoing techniques each offer some relief from the problems associated with aquatic plants, none is truly well suited for use by a private riparian property owner. Accordingly, what is needed is a simple, easy and effective device for ridding an area of lake bottom of undesirable aquatic plants, which is truly usable by a homeowner.